May 23, 2013

On a Saturday evening in May, about 150 friends of Questscope gathered to commemorate 25 years of putting the last, first. In a room overlooking the Minneapolis skyline in the Walker Arts Museum, attendees had many reasons to toast. Beautiful weather had finally emerged from an unseasonably cold spring, food and music was plentiful and Questscope had persisted through a quarter century. 

It was a celebration of the organization, and also a much-deserved acknowledgement of the people behind it. As Dr. Rhodes said during a Q&A at the event: “The glue that binds Questscope together [is] the people.” Throughout 25 years of fluctuating economic and political circumstances, Questscope’s volunteers have proven to be the organization’s most resilient and integral resource.   

Fittingly, an organization founded on serving the forgotten and ignored has been built and maintained by volunteers who do not seek recognition or reward. Rather, Questscope has found success based on a simple shared desire to seek out and help those who need it most. Volunteers listen before speaking, understand before acting and try many times before moving on.

“It’s like we’re biologically programmed to take care of ‘little’…We can set things aside for others that are smaller,” commented Dr. Rhodes on what drives Questscope’s supporters.

With much to celebrate, it was the people who have been serving quietly that deserved the loudest thanks at Questscope’s anniversary party. They have made the past 25 years not only productive, but possible.